24/1/25
The people in the room next door came back late, like half 1 in the morning. Frankie heard them on the phone at 4am. Still we were pretty knackered and slept through mostly. We reluctantly woke up properly at around half 8. There was free Nescafé instant so we helped ourselves to that and a cup of tea. It was 11am before we finally hopped on the bikes.
We followed the motorbikes to get out of the old town without having to walk. It was a busy coastal road again at first but we soon dropped down to a quiet road along the calm sea. It was serene. There were so many places that were suitable for camping here. We passed a huge dilapidated olive oil factory, it was an important trade in Ottoman times. Now it’s just done on a small scale.
The road was easy to ride down at first, nice smooth tarmac mostly, but it then changed to that rocky tarmac that makes the bike feel like it’s slipping side to side as you bounce up and down. It was hard to get going. It started to climb too, away from the sea and through the olive groves, up to our dear friend the D550.
Nothing happens on the highway. Every moment goes slowly but time vanishes. It’s a constant effort to find the best balance of road position. Keeping your head on a swivel is vital to avoid a surprise lorry whooshing past too close. After an hour we stopped for çay. There’s always somewhere, this place was some nice tables on the grass. He asked for 30TL but we didn’t have more than 20TL without breaking a large note. He just said please don’t worry and took 20TL. That’s about 50p. We loved that you could have tea brought to you so easily and cheaply.
As we reached the edge of the basin the highway carried on further inland, while we hugged the coast. It was a hubbub of activity. We’d been carrying some mandarins since the morning and stopped on some park benches overlooking the sea to eat them. As we piled up the peel in front of us, a man stopped to ensure they were going in the bin. We assured him they were, there was a lot less rubbish here to be fair.
We lingered a while, just soaking in the warm Sun. When we got going again our legs didn’t thank us for stopping so long. When we headed north the built up area ended and we headed through an unusual landscape of flooded fields, one of which had flamingos. The whole place was peppered with houses that weren’t underwater. It felt like something had changed here recently. Later on we passed a very large and oddly uniform hardcore area that seems to be an attempt to build the land up and escape flooding.
When the road rose slightly again at the end, we entered the town of Akçay. It was another bustling coastal town. So much was happening left, right and centre. It was hard to know where to look. There were a seemingly infinite number of restaurants and cafes, serving what presumably is the local population. We didn’t get any pictures because it was so intense and we didn’t think of it at the time. We did stop for ekmek though. A big sesame ring and some flatbread.
The town ended soon enough and we getting chucked back on the D550. We’d deliberated where we would stay all day. The coast was busy and camping opportunities a little scarce. We eventually decided to stay in a hotel again. Not quite as cheap but still very affordable, £28. It was a nice modern building and the receptionist let us keep our bikes in the corridor. Win.
We went to the shop for some salad and bought tinned peas and sweetcorn too. The room was very comfortable and felt like the right choice. It was also forecast to rain in the morning. We enjoyed the penultimate episode of Traitors, as well as watching an episode of Shrinking. Later on in the evening we started to hear other guests being way too noisy. Being nocturnal is popular here.
Surly They Won't Make It 